Thelema - Tantra

Style: Goth Rock, Post Punk
Similar artists: Sisters Of Mercy, Panic on the Titanic, Madre del Vizio.
Recording year: Spittle Records, 1986.

The band was born in the most usual way in Modena, during the Winter of 1984 when Massimo Mantovani, formerly in Blousons Noirs, bass player Giorgio Parmigiani, formerly of Throbs of Pleasure and Gregorio Bardini, formerly in T.A.C., were one of the few true italian darkwave band of the 80s.

The first need was for a drummer, and they found Marco Bucciarelli. This first line-up wrote the first songs (The Golem, The Dance of the Witches, Sweet Pain, and the obvious covers of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Velvet Underground etc.). Influenced by the English dark-wave and post-punk of those times, they managed anyway to give their songs a personal bias, with a strong tribal mix of bass and drums which created a rhythm background for the guitar and keyboards tunes, all covered by vocals not always sung but often screamed. The live debut took place in november 1984 in Ostiglia (Mantova), where they played all of their set. They recorded their first demo titled The Golem and the fall of the dying gods with 5 songs and, on the b-side, a part of their first gig. In december 1984 they recorded their first single, released in the first months of 1985 by Sandro Bergamo’s Signal magazine. Reviews on specialized magazines were unanimously positive, and Thelema began a cospicuous live activity.

In 1985 Massimo and Gregorio also recorded a tape of ritual music titled Rosa+Croce, whose first 93 copies were numbered in gold. The positive live response brought them back in studio to record new songs.

Whilst these sessions were taking place Spittle Records got in touch with the band, and after a short hagging the band signed their first contract. Around october-november 1985 guitarist Davide Mussini joined the band, and Thelema recorded the songs which were to become their first album (Tantra, Spittle Records), released in the first months of 1986. This album, released with a ‘60s gatefold package, is still a collectors’ item.

Fields Of Haze... Underground for all.